Coming Back to You
by x-Midnight-Rain-x
Summary: Naruto left the Konoha after his academy graduation. He has spent the last 5 years of his life as a wondering shinobi. War might break loose and the Jinchuuriki are the cause. But they also may be the solution. Naruto/Hinata pairing.
1. The Boy Returns

_**Disclaimer**__: I don't own Naruto or its characters._

Okay so. This is a reconstruction of my old story Waiting On You. I decided to rework it and make it a Naruto/Hinata story exclusively. I have also decided due to my terrible a.d.d, lack of consistent new chapters and updating, that I will write a few chapters ahead of myself. So by the time this chapter is posted I should be able to put out a chapter a week without actually having to worry about not making a week.

P.S. If anyone is confused here is a little background information on this fic. Right after Naruto passed the Genin exam and got his leaf headband he ran away. Villagers angry at his acceptance as a Shinobi and what not drove him out. So that basically means NOTHING that happened in the Naruto show or manga has happened in my fiction. Tsunade is not Hokage, there is no group called Akatsuki, this fic is starting from the beginning of Naruto basically but Naruto is older and **probably** more powerful =P. Enjoy

P.S.S! Please read! If you like this story please check out my others! The Ties that Bind and This Feeling. This feeling is a one shot so check it out not to long! Don't forget to review. Reviews are like crack for writers. We crave and need it. With my new found free time I should be updating the Ties That Bind soonish. But if you've been following my stories you know it could be a little bit.. sorry.

**Coming Back For You**

Chapter One: Five Years

Naruto jumped silently from branch to branch growing ever closer to his goal: The Hidden Village of Konohagakure. It was hard to believe that it has been five years since he ran away. Five years of wandering, training, and working. He could hardly believe he was already eighteen years old. He couldn't help but wonder if anyone in the village would recognize him. As much as he hated the villagers and shinobi that pushed him to run away as a child, he still wanted their acceptance. He wanted to prove he was worth something.

Without making a single noise the boy jumped down from the trees and landed softly on the ground. He looked out over the gate he had not seen in five years. Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had gotten used to roaming from country to county, village to village. He was defiantly going to miss the sincere smiles and praise from the villagers he worked for and saved in the past. He was not going to get that here. Infact… Most likely his return will have the opposite effect. He opened his eyes and set his resolve. "If I can make a name for myself in those countries… I can do it here!" He slowly reached into the small bag he carried on his back. He pulled from it a shimmering silver forehead protector that had the hidden leaf insignia on the front. He traced his finger over the leaf as he had done many times before. He took a deep breath and tied it around his head. He couldn't get over how weird it was to wear one after six years. With a smile he began walking towards the entrance of the village. When he reached the gate he caught the attention of the two guards.

"Hey you! You can't just walk in here. You have to check in first!" One of them said walking out from behind his post. Naruto sighed a little bit. He was hoping to be able to go straight to the Hokage. Naruto slowly made his way over to the guards.

"Please state your full name and present valid proof of your village residency." Naruto stared at them with a bemused look on his face.

"What village am I from? You guys aren't very perceptive are you? Can't you tell by my forehead protector?" He said pointing. They both exchanged confused glances and looked back at the unknown shinobi.

"Your from the leaf? How come we have never seen you before? State your full name." The guard asked tentatively hands ready to act at any sign of trouble. Naruto was debating weather or not to lie to the gate guards but he figured if he told them the truth he would be brought directly to the Hokage. At least that's what he hoped they did with missing nin.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto the future Hokage!" The men seemed to visibly stiffen at the boys' response and Naruto knew he would have to break the silence quickly. "I was hoping to go speak with the Hokage as soon as possible." Both guards looked as if they were forced to eat a whole lemon.

"Right this way." One guard said through gritted teeth as he roughly grabbed Narutos right arm, while the other guard came around and grabbed his left arm with an unreadable look upon his face. They both tightened their grip and started escorting the missing nin to the Hokage building. Naruto winced as the man on the right began digging his nails in. "Its good to be home." Naruto muttered to himself.

The Third Hokage was working on some paperwork when he heard a hard knock at the door. Without looking up he addressed the guards, "Come in." He heard the door open quickly. "So what seems to be the problem today?" He asked slightly annoyed at the interruption. He had so much paper work to do…

"Is that the way you treat all of your employees Ojii-san?" asked a familiar voice. Sarutobi was so shocked to hear that voice he dropped his pen and looked up "Oww. Owwww!" Naruto winced as the guard yelled something along the lines of being polite when addressing the Hokage. Sarutobi couldn't believe his eyes. The young orphan he swore to protect and thought long gone from this world was standing right in front of him. He couldn't believe how much he had grown in five years. He was easily six feet tall now. There was no sign of fat on his body. He was wearing large black combat boots with metal plating on the toe and heel. He had Baggy orange sweat pants with a kunai pouch that clashed with his black sleeveless t-shirt. On the back of the shirt was his trademark swirl. His right arm seemed to be wrapped in leather belts and bandages from his shoulder down to his wrist. He wore an ornate sword, which fell on his back easily accessible by his right hand. But what struck him the most was his face and long spiky hair. His face was more defined and masculine losing all of its childlike innocence. The whisker marks seemed to have grown darker and longer. His hair was longer then how he used to wear it and it was pulled back into a small ponytail. A strange feeling began to well up in Sarutobi's chest; it took almost all of his strength not to shed a tear. _'You look so much like your father Naruto…'_

"What should we do with the prisoner Hokage-sama" The guard who spoke smiled maliciously. This brought Sarutobi back to the present.

"Release him and leave my office." He whispered still loud enough for the guards to hear.

"But Hokage-sa—" The man stuttered in response.

"Are you disobeying a direct command from your superior? I said LEAVE!" The two guards looked at each other and let go of the boy. They left through the door quickly and quietly and shut it behind him. Naruto still hadn't taken his eyes of the old man who stood up and walked around his desk. Naruto did not dare talk and he couldn't seem to bring himself to move as the Hokage walked closer and closer. _'What's going to happen to me? Was this a mistake? Was I a fool to think this man would accept me back even if he was the only one who helped me when I was little?'_ Narutos thoughts were cut short when the Hokage wrapped his arms tightly around Naruto. Naruto stiffed in the embrace until he heard the Hokage whispered into his ear, "I'm so glad your back Naruto. I missed you." Naruto could not help but let the rush of emotions take over. The only man he held true respect for in Konoha still remembered him. Still cared for him even after he turned his back on the village and ran away.

"I am so sorry for leaving… Thank you Ojii-san… Thank you for forgiving me for leaving. But I am back now…" Naruto said trying to fight back the tears and failing miserably. The Sandaime Hokage released the young man and smiled lightly. "Who said anything about forgiving you?" he laughed jokingly. Naruto looked down at his feet sheepishly. "I was going to say goodbye to you when I decided to leave… But I know you would have just tried to stop me."

"Your right about that Naruto…" Sarutobi sighed to himself. He knew how hard the villagers and even some shinobi had been on him. He had tried so hard to show them how wrong they were. That he should be considered a hero. But all his words fell on deaf ears. It was hard to believe Naruto took it for as long as he did actually. _'If only I had worked harder. If only I had done a better job protecting him… Minato… Kushina…. I really let you down haven't I? I need to make up for the mistakes I have made in the past.'_

"Naruto I am glad you have come back. But before anything else I must tell you something important. It's labeled an S class secret. Its about why the villagers have treated you so badly over the years." Sarutobi was trying to figure out a way to break the news as lightly as possible. But Naruto interrupted him

"I already know… That I am the container of the Kyuubi…" Sarutobi was shocked to say the least.

"But how…?" Was all he could manage to say.

"Well.. For the past five years I have been traveling from country to country. I've been to all the major hidden villages. Through my travels I've been training under various shinobi and doing random freelance work. But through these travels I have also heard a lot of stories… Some stories of countries trying to control the power of the tailed beasts by sealing them in a human host. And others of the attack on Konoha… Where the Fourth Hokage was told to have sealed an evil demon destroying the village into the body of a baby boy. When I heard that story… Everything seemed to fit into place. Why the villagers hated me so. Why they called me demon and monster. Why I have this seal on my stomach. It all made sense. But I started to wonder why did the Fourth Hokage seal the demon in me of all people… Why would he do that to me. Why did he pass such a burden on to ME! ONTO ANYONE!" Naruto screamed at no one in particular. Sarutobi was quietly contemplating what to do next. He always knew at some point the boy would have to find out. But not through a stranger… _'The boy has been told nothing but lies his whole life…'_

"I'm sorry you had to find out that way Naruto… But you have to understand something about the Yondaime Hokage. How can I say this... Naruto… The Yondaime Hokage was your father. Minato Namikaze. He sealed the power in you and died in the process because he knew his son could take the burden. He thought the village would view the container of the nine tails as a hero… " He trailed off trying to gauge Narutos reaction. It was a mixture of pain anger and happiness. Happiness at finally knowing something about his parents, anger at his father for putting this burden on him, and pain for knowing that any chance he had of one day finding his parents were gone.

"I am the son… of the Fourth Hokage." He repeated to himself. He looked down at his feet then to his reflection in the window and he began to see the obvious signs he was blind to before. "How did I not know? Why would no one tell me? Why would the people of Konoha treat their saviors son like garbage?" He asked the current Hokage. Sarutobi could only sigh in response.

"They do not know you are the son of the late Minato. His relationship with your mother Kushina Uzumaki was a very closely guarded secret. We lived in troubled times… She was from the whirlpool country a nation we weren't on the best terms with at the time.."

But Naruto was only half listening. _'So my mothers name was Kushina…. And I took her sir name? They probably did that to distance me from my father's name.'_ Naruto continued to mull over all the information he had just learned.

"Well I can see these stories can wait for another time. I'm sure you have enough on your mind after everything we have discussed today. I just have two more things to say before we get you set back up here in Konoha. The first thing being none of this information will leave this room. It is still an S class secret and the punishment still stands even for you. We can't have you going around telling everyone you are the son of the late Hokage… Even if it is nearly impossible to miss the resemblance…" He added trying to cheer the boy up when he realized he couldn't use this information to get on the villages good side. " Second I need you to report to me at 8 am tomorrow morning. If you are to once again become a shinobi of the leaf I must hear about your travels and learn of your progress as a ninja." _'I hope that's enough time to get everything ready…'_ he added to himself. It took Naruto a few seconds to answer.

"I understand. Thank you again Ojii-san." He said flashing that trademark whiskered grin Sarutobi still remembered.

"Alright I will send word to all the Jonin of your arrival and send someone to set up your living arrangements. They will contact you when it is complete." The old Hokage smiled at the young man. "I can tell your itching to go and explore the town and I know you have a lot on your mind so for now you are dismissed." Naruto bowed and quickly turned and ran out of the room.

"Be here at 8 am sharp!" He shouted at the retreating back of the young shinobi.

Naruto decided to simply walk around the village for a while. He had a lot on his mind. Finding out about his parents so unexpectedly hit him hard. He had no idea how he should be feeling right now. He had long since dried his tears over their loss but that didn't make this information any easier to sort out. With no real destination he quickly found himself lost. He felt like a tourist. As he would walk by some people would whisper in quiet aw. As he walked he finally realized that he wasn't truly lost. Without even realizing it he had walked straight to the neighborhood of Ichiraku's ramen. He sighed to himself and realized he might as well indulge while he was in this area. He walked up to the small stand and sat down on his favorite stool. It was weird though. He seemed a lot higher up this time. He cleared his throat hoping to get the attention of one of the workers. "Hold on one second!" Came a light hearted response. He heard the shuffling of feet and out from the back came a beautiful young woman. She looked at Naruto and her eyes widened a bit. A slight blush graced her cheeks and she walked up to the Naruto. "How are you today sir? My name is Ayame, what can I get you…" She asked politely. For a second Naruto though she remembered him but the blushing threw him off.

"Umm yeah… I'm good! Can I have one bowl of every type of ramen please?" He asked sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. Her eyes widened at his request. "Hold on one second." She walked out back and she heard two voices talking with each other. He heard a loud WHAT? And then a rather large old man walked around to the front.

"So you want one of every kind of…" he took a good look at the young man. He walked to the counter and took a close look at the boy. A bit to close for Narutos comfort. Then a look of recognition dawned on the mans face.

"Well I'll be! Is that you Naruto?! Of course it has to be. Who else wears that god awful orange color, eats that much ramen?!" The old man patted Naruto on the back hard.

"Yeah you got me." Naruto sad matter of factly. "Didn't think anyone would recognize me."

"Well I guess if you didn't eat so much ramen I wouldn't have noticed" the old man laughed running to the back of the stand. He came out with two steaming bowls of ramen. "I got these made up now ill let you eat those while I work on the others" He smiled sincerely. Naruto felt like a fool that he had grouped this old man with the other villagers. He had sadly forgotten how nice the old man had always been towards his best customer.

"So then I realized I had to come back to Konoha… it was almost instinct that drew me back." Naruto said finishing his tenth bowl of ramen and his story. He looked between the old man and the blushing Ayame.

"That's some story Naruto. I'm not sure why you left in the first place but it looks like you had yourself quite the adventure!" The man smiled picking up the empty bowls and placing them in the sink.

"Your stories were so amazing Naruto-kun! I can't believe you did all that at such a young age." Ayame praised

"Well it's not that impressive…" Naruto smirked inwardly trying to make himself sound as cool as possible.

"Yes quite impressive." Naruto turned to the voice to find a man with silver hair stepping from the shadows.

"Do I know you…." As the figure walked closer Naruto realized who the man was. "Wait your Kakashi-sensei right? You were assigned to train my Genin group before I….." Naruto trailed off as he spoke not realizing how he would react to what he said.

"Ah yes I guess your right. We had to go through a lot of trouble to fill the hole you made in the roster." Kakashi laughed at his own joke. "Well that aside, I am here as the Jonin ordered to escort you to your new apartment. He smiled looking around the small shop. "Your finished eating correct?" Naruto nodded his head. "Alright lets get going then it's getting late. Don't you have to be up early to meet with the Hokage?"

Naruto had completely lost track of time when he realized the sun had gone down a while ago and the moon was already slowly rising in the night sky.

"That's true… Alright one second." Naruto turned from the Jonin and bowed. "Thank you Ayame-chan, Teuchi-san. I'll defiantly be back!" He flashed them a whiskered smile.

"Hahaha I wouldn't doubt it boy, I wouldn't doubt it." Teuchi smiled.

"Have a good night Naruto-kun." Ayame bowed back. With that Naruto turned away from the ramen stand. _'I think I like this place more then I used to if that's possible..'_ He smiled to himself. Two friends in this place already. He joined the Jonin and followed the young silver haired shinobi.

"So where is my new place? Anywhere near my old crummy apartment?" Naruto chided remembering the bad condition of his old place.

"No this house was hand picked by the Hokage himself. Something to do with keeping it in the family." Naruto breathed in quickly at the way Kakashi stressed the word family. So he knew….

"Oh…" Naruto replied. Much of the rest of the way there was filled with silence. He had no idea what to say to the young Jonin.

"Here we are." Kakashi announced stopping in front of a rather large house in the upper district of Konoha.

"Is this really the place?" Naruto asked in aw, staring at the large accommodations. "Don't you think the villagers will find it weird that…." He couldn't really say the host of the Kyubi… "Naruto Uzumaki randomly reappears in the village AND gets the Fourth Hokage's old house?"

"Well luckily this house was held under the name of your mother, not my old sensei." Kakashi said smiling beneath a mask that covers the bottom of his face. Naruto hesitated.

"… My father… was your teacher?" He asked quietly.

Kakashi smiled sadly. "Yes he was. And I'm sure you must have many questions for me. But that is for another time. This is the point you go inside and get settled. You'll find the fridge is filled with food and so are the shelves. I had them get you some ramen too. Although I'm sure it wont be as good as the Ichiraku's though." Naruto nodded thankfully although not fully satisfied with his answer. He turned around to find Kakashi not following him.

"This is where I take my leave." He reached into his pocket and threw a key chain with two keys on it to the boy. "It's the bigger key." He put his hands back in his pockets and turned to walk away.

"What's the smaller key for." Naruto yelled at the retreating Jonin.

"I don't know." Kakashi replied thoughtfully over his shoulder. Naruto smiled as the Jonin. He knew he was going to like Kakashi. He turned around and opened the door.

Kakashi could actually hear Naruto yell, "It's even bigger inside!" He smiled to himself as he walked down the night streets of Konoha.

Naruto awoke to the sound of silence. He jolted up in his bed only to realize he was inside and sleeping on a bed. He was so used to sleeping outside in the woods. There was always noise out in the woods however quiet. It was then that everything that happened last night began to sink in. It hadn't been a dream. He was back. He looked at the clock and realized it was 7:55. He didn't have time for anything he had to leave for the Hokage's tower NOW. He felt himself lucky for falling asleep wearing is cloths. He simply grabbed his sword slung it over his shoulder, adjusted his kunai pouch and jumped out the second story window of the house onto the roof. Much to the chagrin of his neighbors he jumped down and ran as fast as he could towards the Hokage's tower.

He ran into the door he had meant to open. He took a second to readjust himself and burst through the door to see a none to surprise Hokage waiting for him.

"What time does that clock say Naruto?" He asked with a cool voice.

"Um…. 8:01?" he said quickly, sweating bullets. The Sandaime Hokage arched his back and let out a loud laugh.

"Its alright Naruto. Just don't make a habit of being late." Naruto Visibly relaxed. "First order of business is to properly welcome you back among the villages Shinobi." He smiled as the blushing boy bowed in response. "Second is to announce I will be placing you on an active team." He stated waiting for the reaction from Naruto. He could tell he was fighting a losing battle with himself to yell out in happiness.

"Alright!" Naruto shouted pumping his fist in the air.

"BUT." Sarutobi interrupted Narutos fist pumping. He paled. "We have to test your skills before you are put on an active team. Sadly we cannot just take your word for it. So your new team leader will give you two tests. One to test your knowledge, and on of your practical skills." He finished with a knowing smile on his face. Narutos face had long lost the paleness.

"That should be no problem. Who's my teacher? What team am I on? When will I meet my teammates?" Naruto said excitedly.

"Well I believe you have already met your teacher. Twice in fact." Naruto though about it and then came to a realization.

"Kakashi-sensei?!" The old Hokage laughed.

"Yes Naruto. Him and his team are actually going to be meeting at practice field 2 so if you want to meet them and make a good impression you better get there before they start." He smiled. Naruto was beside himself working with a team on his first day back!

"When do they begin practice?" Naruto asked hurriedly.

"About 8:30." Naruto looked at the clock 8:23. 'Crap…' "Later Ojii-san! THANKS AGAIN!" And with that the young man jumped out of the nearby open window of the Hokage tower. Sarutobi looked on in amusement as he made his way to the training ground_. 'That kid…'_ He though as he went back to his massive load of paperwork and sighed. _'To bad he had to leave…'_

I know I didn't modify it to much to those that read Waiting on you, but I fixed a few inconsistencies that were bugging me, and now I can just start anew with it being a Naruto/Hinata piece. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and remember to leave a review if you can! Just a simple I hate it, I love it would work. I just want to know how my story is received =P.


	2. Jinchuuriki

_**Disclaimer**__: Don't own Narutooooo. _

Second chapter! I really like being a chapter ahead of myself. I think it will be really good for keeping myself in line and updating this story once a weekish. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I hope you like Narutos new team ^.^.

P.S.! Please read! If you like this story please check out my others! The Ties that Bind and This Feeling. This feeling is a one shot so check it out not to long! Don't forget to review. Reviews are like crack for writers. We crave and need it. P.s With my free time I should be updating the Ties That Bind soonish. But if you've been following my stories you know it could be a bit.. sorry.

Chapter 2: Jinchuuriki

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Needless to say Naruto was a little nervous. So standing on the edge of the training field he was a little apprehensive to approach his new teammates. He took a deep breath and felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see the now familiar masked Jonin.

"Glad you got up in time to meet us here Naruto. Your transition back into the ranks of a leaf will be… different. Most of your former classmates are Jonin now. And if not Jonin they are on their way to becoming one. So the hierarchy may be a bit off. But lets introduce you to your new team." He gave Naruto a slight push forward.

The two Kunoichi turned their heads to see Kakashi walking with a shinobi they have never seen before. Of coarse they were getting a new team member, they knew they needed someone to fill the hole Sasuke made when he joined the ROOT organization. But they weren't expecting someone they have never seen before. Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

"The names Uzumaki Naruto. Nice to meetcha." He flashed the two female shinobi a fox like grin that betrayed his nervousness. Both girls blushed, one more than the other.

"Nice to meet you too Naruto, my name is Haruno Sakura." Said a girl with bright pink hair. She wore her forehead protector like a hairpiece to keep the hair out of her face. She wore a red jacket with what appeared to be a Jonin vest over it and a red skirt covering black shorts. He flashed her another smile and looked towards the other girl. Naruto couldn't help but think how cute she looked, fidgeting and poking her fingers together. She had long lavender hair that went down to the small of her back with two shorter strands framing her face. She wore a white and purple jacket with a hood covered by a Chuunin vest and blue shinobi pants.

"N-nice to meet you Naruto-kun. I'm Hyuga H-Hinata." She stammered out shyly trying very hard to stare a hole into the ground.

"Not to sound rude but I haven't seen you around Konoha before Naruto. Where are you from?" Sakura was curious and couldn't help but ask. Something about him was so… Familiar. Naruto was used to this question, traveling from village to village this question came up a lot. But hearing it now in this situation, it caused him to tense for a moment. _'What should I say? Should I lie? Should I tell the truth? Does it even matter?'_ Much to Narutos relief Kakashi answered for him.

"He is and always will be a Leaf Shinobi. That's all that matters now, you can ask him any other questions on your own time. But now that the introductions are over Naruto, its time to work on your tests." He said motioning at the boy. "We have a few details to work out before he can officially join our team. You two can start working on those team exercises we started on yesterday." Sakura nodded slowly with a frown obviously dissatisfied with Kakashis answer. Hinata gave both of them a polite bow and ran off to catch up with the retreating Sakura. Kakashi turned back to Naruto.

"Well Naruto I'm sure the Hokage has told you that you will not simply be joining our team. First you must pass a written test, then a skills test. He paused trying to gauge Narutos reaction. "I thought we would get the written test out of the way first since with will probably take up the most time." He saw Naruto shiver a little out of the corner of his eye. "Don't worry to much about this test. It is not a history test. It is more a test of general ninja knowledge, such as Jutsu theory and chakra systems." Said nonchalantly. A huge grin spread across Narutos face.

"Oh is that all? I learned that years ago! It sounds a lot easier than I thought it was going to be." Kakashi sweat dropped.

_"_Follow me I'll take you to the examination room."

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Kakashi couldn't believe his eyes. Yet here he was staring right at it. He had given Naruto his test and sat down to do some heavy reading. He hadn't had a chance to reread his book in a few days and was looking forward to finishing. What he hadn't expected was for Naruto to pass in the test after thirty minuets. Not only did he finish in record time, it was mostly correct.. _'We usually give this to the students as a way to test their intelligence gathering skills. It would really be considered to hard of a test to pass without cheating even for Chuunin. We really only wanted to see if Naruto could answer ANY of these questions by himself. We would have passed him even if he only got two right but…'_ He looked up to find Naruto with an amused smirk on his face.

"That wasn't so hard you sure that was the real test??" Naruto laughed. Kakashi looked from the paper back to Naruto.

"Yes that was the real test."

"Really? Most of that just seemed common sense to me." Naruto shrugged. Kakashi simply raised his eyebrows.

"Well you have defiantly proven yourself on this written exam, so now we can move onto your test of skill. We need to determine the capacity of your chakra and essential Jutsu knowledge." Kakashi motioned for Naruto to follow him. Narutos smile seemed to widen as he followed.

"This should be no problem chakra and jutsus are my greatest strength!"

They started to make their way back to the training grounds. They could see the beginning of the grounds when a strange female shinobi suddenly jumped down in front of the two effectively blocking their path. She had light sky blue hair with bright pink eyes. She wore a Waterfall forehead protector tied on her upper right arm. A red scroll was tied around her back and she wore a white tank top and skirt. Kakashi smiled beneath his mask placing his hand nonchalantly on his kunai pouch. "A shinobi from Waterfall? For what do we owe the pleasure?"

The young Kunoichi just smirked. "No need to reach for your kunai. I'm not here for you Leaf nin." She jumped back and threw two kunai at Naruto. He reached and pulled out his sword much faster then Kakashi was expecting and blocked the kunai with ease. He ran towards the attacking ninja, and they clashed sword and kunai with lightning speed. Naruto jumped up into the air, and brought his sword above his head. The blue haired girl didn't even flinch as she jumped up to meet Naruto's blade with a Kunai. She made a single hand sign, "Mizurappa! (Violent Water Wave)" A strong jet of water came streaming from her mouth hitting Naruto square in the chest. He fell to the ground and disappeared with a poof. She was still In the air when she heard a shout from behind her "Daitoppa! (Great Breakthrough)". The windblast hit her in the back and she fell to the ground as a pool of water. "Suiryuudan no Jutsu! (Water Dragon projectile technique.) Naruto shouted and a giant water dragon went roaring into a nearby tree. The blue haired girl barely had time to jump out before the tree was destroyed.

Kakashi was needless to say very impressed with both shinobi. _'Not only are they performing high-level Justus but they were doing so with little to no hand signs. I barely caught both of them making their clones. And Naruto… using his secondary elemental affinity with such ease at his age…'_ Naruto landed on his feet and let out a laugh, which surprised Kakashi.

"Is that any way to greet a old friend Yuii-chan?" Naruto said, smiling at the girl who just jumped out of the now destroyed tree. She stuck her tongue out at Naruto.

"With you? Always." She retorted. Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and turned back to Kakashi.

"I guess it would be best if I introduced you huh? This is Yuii-chan. I met her when I visited Waterfall country. She's… like me…" He trailed off not sure if it was his place to say. Suddenly he was jolted forward by a hard smack to the back of his head.

"You need to be more assertive Naruto-Kun! If he knows about you then its okay if he knows about me." She stated menacingly. She turned back to Kakashi and bowed. "I am Yuii Mujina, container of the Seven Tailed badger Kaku pleasure to meet you." Kakashi smiled and bowed back. '_To many surprises today…' he_ thought to himself.

"Pleasure to meet you too. I'm assuming from your first statement that your only business in the leaf is to talk with Naruto so I will give you two time to catch up. By the way Naruto consider your skills test complete after that little show. For now I must report to the Hokage. You might well consider to do the same soon Naruto. It seems you still have some… important information to report." With that he was gone in a poof. Naruto couldn't help but feel cheated. _'That counts as a test? We were just playing around… I didn't even use any of my good Justus!' _He shook his head and turned his attention back to the girl in front of him. His was face turned hard and serious.

"For you to actually show up here means it must be important. What's the situation?"

"Can't pass anything by you now can I? I think they're beginning to move." She said softly closing the distance between the two. "They've already come into contact with Roushi. They haven't begun using force… yet." Naruto sighed; this is not what he was expecting. _'For them to move so soon… I hadn't even settled back in the leaf yet.'_

"It appears this war might happen sooner then we expected… It sounds like we still have some time though. For now I want you to warn the rest of the Jinchuuriki. Go back and try to get as much intel as you can. If you hear anything big, report back to me. We have to start preparing…"

"That's what I was planning on doing anyways." She half whined half stated. She reached down and picked up a hand full of dirt. "It was good to see you again Naruto." She flashed him a huge grin. "Hopefully next time we meet I'll have better news. Ill find you as soon as I hear anything more." She closed the dirt between her palms and made a few quick hand signs. In a puff of smoke she disappeared and in her place was a giant badger. In the blink of an eye she had burrowed underground and was gone. Naruto turned his attention back to his task at hand. He decided it would be a good idea to go back to the training grounds where Sakura and Hinata were practicing. Better then talking to the Hokage right away. Naruto sighed. He needed time to think what he could and couldn't tell the man.

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He was already close to the training grounds so it didn't take long for him to get back. He scanned the area and found them taking a break on the side of the training ground. He made his way over to them and waved to get their attention. They seemed a bit surprised to see him.

"Back so soon Naruto-san? Kakashi said your test was going to take a while." Sakura pointed at. Hinata was blushing again but Naruto didn't seem to notice.

"I think Kakashi underestimated me." He said with a grin. "That test was so easy! We even had time to fit in the other test. So I guess I'm officially on the team now. I came by to see if you two would like to join me for lunch." He realized how awkward that might sound so he quickly added. "You know… To get to know each other better."

"You may be officially on the team but we'll need to build trust and work together for you to be PART of the team." She responded slightly dampening Naruto's spirit. "But I think lunch with our new teammate sounds like a great idea. What do you think Hinata?" The lavender haired girl made an 'eep' noise and nodded her head. Naruto's smile returned.

"I know Kakashi has gone to talk with the Hokage so I believe we have some free time before he gets back. Where would you like to go?" An evil look seemed to crawl upon Sakura's face.

"Your paying right?"

Naruto couldn't believe the food here. I mean it was no Ichiraku's but it was good. It was a lot fancier and put a much larger dent in his wallet but it was worth it. He found he got along with his new teammates very well. Especially Hinata. While she was incredibly quiet she was a good listener and always had something important to add.

"I hate to break up our fun conversation Naruto but I have to ask… Considering we're teammates now. If you're a leaf shinobi and always have been then why haven't we seen you before?" Sakura asked. Hinata tried not to look interested but failed miserably. Naruto was better prepared this time to answer. The words came out so naturally. It was a lie he was used to telling.

"I lived in Konoha with my family a long time ago. We were on our way to visit family in the grass country when we were attacked by rock shinobi… I was the only survivor…" He chocked back a few fake tears. "I was saved by some Waterfall ninja and stayed with them for over a year. I just couldn't come back here. Everything I knew here was gone. But as I travel from country to country, learning, training, and meeting new people, I realized how much pride people had in their country. I met people who would die for their country even though they were taxing their citizens into starvation. The very definition of unrequited loved. That is when I slowly realized this place was always and will always be my home. Even if it was filled with… Painful memories. It was home. So I decided to come back." _'It's mostly the truth…'_ Naruto thought to himself. Both girls looked on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry for asking Naruto" Sakura said composing herself. "It does mean a lot that you trust us enough with such painful memories." Hinata nodded her head vigorously.

"I'm so sorry Naruto-kun. I didn't know you had such a painful childhood." She said trying to hide that sadness she was so clearly portraying. Naruto reached over and gently put a hand on Hinata's shoulder. "Don't worry its all right that was then and this is now. I got a great new team, I'm back in the village, and I'm ready for some action!" He smiled trying to lighten the mood. And it worked, Hinata let out a small chuckle, even though she couldn't hide the blush she still had. He looked outside and realized it was mid afternoon by now and Kakashi must be done with the Hokage by now. He sighed.

"I hate to cut this lunch short but I'm sure you two should be getting back to practice before Kakashi gets to mad at me for interrupting it. The Hokage will probably be expecting me anyways after Kakashi's report." Naruto said sadly. Sakura looked outside and quickly agreed, while Hinata seemed a bit reluctant to leave. Naruto got out of his chair and left the money for the bill on the table. He walked to the door and held it open for his teammates. As Hinata walked by she gave him a quick bow and blushed. "T-thank you again for the meal Naruto-kun." He returned the bow with a smile and small blush of his own. "Anytime Hinata-chan." As he walked outside he stretched "I'm sure I'll see the two of you soon." He flashed them both a fox like grin. He waved and ran in the direction of the hokage tower.

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Naruto quickly knocked on the door to the Hokage's office and shuffled in once he heard the faint 'come in!' He walked up slowly to the desk waiting for the Hokage to look up from his paperwork. "Ah Naruto... Kakashi has informed me of your test results and I must say I am impressed. Speed that of which is hard to follow even with the Sharingan, and the ability to do high-level jutsu's with little to no hand signs. I even hear you have use of both your Chakra affinities! Not only that but a near perfect score on your written test. We have Jonin who are currently less qualified then you. I am not to shocked by your progress though." He smiled at the boy. "Knowing who your father is, it is not surprising. I'm sure you haven't even shown us all the surprises you have up your sleeve. Which is good. Secrecy is a ninja's best weapon." Naruto could tell where this was leading though. "But…" And there it was. " Secrecy of ones own ability is one thing. I am far more interested to hear about your interaction with a Waterfall ninja that was never seen coming into the village." He said with knowing eyes. Naruto steeled himself. It just was to early to tell him everything. Things could change, they just needed more time. But he had to tell him something.

"Well… it all started the first week after I left. I was a young kid wandering the woods by myself easy pickings for some bandits. They probably though they could get some ransom money or something for me." He half laughed half spat. "Luckily I was saved by a shinobi couple from Waterfall. I don't know why but I told them who I was, where I was from, and more importantly what was inside of me. I don't really know why I guess I just felt I could trust these people. It was a good thing too because they told me their daughter was also Jinchuuriki. When they introduced us we just seemed to hit it off. We knew each other's pain and hardships." Sarutobi nodded.

"That explains to me how you met her. But I want to know why she snuck into this village in broad daylight just to talk to you." Naruto smiled to himself. _'Still as sharp as ever Ojii-san.'_

"Well I left Waterfall after about a year to find new trainers and strengthen myself as a shinobi. But I also had another goal. I wanted to find and meet the other seven of the tailed beasts. Yuii is a master of stealth and recon so she's been helping me find and stay in contact with all of the Jinchuuriki." The Hokage was stunned. This is not what he was expecting.

"How many of the Jinchuuriki are you in contact with?" The Third asked tentatively.

"All but one. And we have reason to believe he has been taken over by his tailed beast and is therefore presumed dead." Naruto stated. Sarutobi stood up and walked to the nearby window looking out. He turned back to Naruto with a serious look upon his face.

"Do you know how dangerous what your doing is? Jinchuuriki's have the potential to be some of the most powerful ninjas in existence. And you're the link between all of them. Do you realize what countries would do to come into possession of just one or two of you? You could become a target." Naruto sighed inwardly _'you don't know the half of it.'_

"I thought of that sir. That's why our only method of continued communication had been through Yuii. She is a master of stealth after all." Naruto said hoping the Hokage would leave it at this for now. Sarutobi let out a loud sigh.

"I can understand why you felt the urge to find other people like yourself. I just don't want you to get hurt or taken advantage of because of this." He smiled meekly with tired eyes. Naruto couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of himself for not being honest with a man who cares for him so much.

"Don't worry Ojii-san I'll be safe. I'll keep you posted on any information Yuii brings to me."Naruto added to try and reassure.

"Thank you Naruto. If you don't mind, I would also like to speak with Yuii the next time she comes around." Naruto nodded

"Is there anything else you needed from me Ojii-san?" Naruto asked. He wanted to go train. _'A day without training feels so weird.'_ Naruto thought to himself.

"I believe we covered everything I needed to know for now. I do have a lot of paperwork. Your dismissed Naruto."

"Thanks Ojii-san!" Naruto yelled as he ran from the room

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Naruto ran to the training grounds. On one hand he wanted to see if his new team was still training. But on the other hand that could always wait until tomorrow. He did a few stretches and cracked his knuckles. "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu." Hundreds of shadow clones instantly appeared in the large training ground. It hadn't taken him long to realize he could use his huge chakra capacity to his advantage. He started giving out orders, some were sent to practice taijutsu with chakra weights on, others were sent to practice faster ways to sign jutsu's. The last group minus the original was sent to perfect his teamwork skills by having mock battles. He was so used to fighting alone he needed the practice. The real Naruto stretched and made himself comfortable under a tree. He looked down to his right arm and he slowly began unwrapping the belts and bandages. Under the bandages was a long scar that ran from his shoulder to his elbow. There was a black patterned seal that covered most of his arm. He moved his elbow and flexed his fingers and the seal glowed lightly. He heard some rustling and a strangely familiar 'eep'. He jumped up from his position to find none other then Hinata sheepishly rising from her spot behind a nearby bush.

"Hinata-chan? What are you doing... there?" She was blushing furiously.

"W-well I thought I heard your voice talking to a bunch of people so I decided to came to see what was going on. When I got here I was… surprised to see so many of you…" She trailed off hoping he got the point she was trying to make. That is until she realized his arm.

"Oh Naruto! What happened to your arm?!" She said reaching out and gently running her fingers over the scar. He winced at her touch and pulled away slightly. He wasn't use to people seeing this…

"I'm sorry Hinata-chan… I would rather not talk about that yet…" He bent down quickly re-bandaging and rewrapping his arm. "I know teammates are supposed to trust each other and here I am not answering a stupid simple question." He got back up and turned around only to be wrapped in a tight hug.

"D-Don't worry Naruto-kun. I'm not mad. You can tell us when your ready." She quickly let go of the hug finally realizing what she was doing and blushed beet red. Naruto couldn't help but smile at the gesture. "Thanks Hinata-chan. That means a lot… So are you and Sakura done with training for today?" He asked trying to change the subject.

"Oh y-yes were done. My father has apparently called for me and I was on my way back home before I ran into you."

"Want some company on the walk home?" Naruto asked with a broad grin on his face.

"B-but w-what about your t-training?" She stammered out wondering why she always tried to sabotage herself.

"They can keep working without me for a little bit" He grinned "Which way to your house?"

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Well I hope you enjoyed my new chapter! Probably a bit different then most people were expecting but I hope you will continue to read none the less oh and _**PLEASE READ **_because I know a lot of you might comment on it or be confused. All the characters I will be introducing in my fic are actually characters created by Kishi. They are also all based on the myth and legends of the nine tailed beasts. For instance the seven tails (Yuii) is the smallest but most cunning and stealthy of the tailed beasts. It uses earth techniques and when above land can transform into any kind of creature if there is clay/dirt around. So I am not pulling this information and characters out of nowhere. I have just given the unnamed characters names and personalities. Also I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone but Akatsuki and MOST of its members do not exist/aren't going to be in this fic. If you want to read about Akatsuki read the manga or most any other Naruto fanfic just not this fiction ^.^.


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